The Times of India 14.09.2009
Union ministry frames service benchmark for public transport for JNNURM cities
PUNE: Even as the need for improving poor public transport in the city has been stressed by various civic groups and numerous study reports earlier, the Union urban development ministry has now stepped in to frame service level benchmarks for public transport and pedestrian facilities and has asked all JNNURM mission cities to improve their levels of service.
The main focus areas for assessment of service levels include quality and financial sustainability of public transport, pedestrians safety and infrastructure facilities, non-motorised transport, usage of Intelligent Transport System facilities, travel speed along major corridors, road safety, availability of parking facilities and pollution levels in the city.
As per directions of the urban development ministry, the performance measurements will have to be carried out by the urban local bodies and the transport undertaking that is the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML).
The performance levels will have to be disseminated widely and in fact, would be a part of mandatory disclosure of information. The levels of service have been specified from 1 to 4, where 1' is the highest level of service while four is the lowest.
The municipal corporation and the PMPML will have to release performance report cards, mentioning the current baseline and actual accomplishments of performance during subsequent periods of time. The performance report cards also need to mention the brief plan of action for achieving the targeted performance level. In a detailed note, the ministry has framed the benchmarks for each service, the indicators, and the method to determine the benchmarks.
The service level benchmark for public transport would indicate the city-wide level of services provided during peak hours, that is, 8 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 8 pm. The indicators for determining the service levels for public transport includes the presence of organised public transport, extent of availability, service coverage or density of bus route network, frequency of service, level of comfort and percentage of buses as per urban specifications of buses.
For determining service levels related to pedestrian facilities, the criteria include percentage of city covered with footpaths which are wider than 1.2 metres, street lighting, and signalised intersection delays for pedestrians. Similarly for service levels of non-motorised facilities, the criteria includes presence of non-motorised tracks (cycle tracks), coverage of cycle tracks, encroachments on NMV roads, and NMV parking facilities near terminals.
The level of usage of intelligent transport system facilities will be determined by the availability of traffic surveillance system, passenger information system, usage of global positioning system, signal synchronisation, and integrated ticketing system.
Service level benchmarks regarding travel speed of motorised and mass transit vehicles along major corridors will be determined in terms of average speed of vehicles which will be influenced by number of vehicles along the road, number of signals per km and the average intersection delay.
The service levels regarding availability of parking spaces indicates restriction of free parking space for all vehicles. The indicators for this include availability of paid parking space, and that at least 50 per cent of parking spaces should be "paid parking."
The pollution levels will be determined by the presence of respiratory particulate matter, suspended particulate matter, Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide. The financial sustainability of public transport would be determined by the extent of non-fare revenue, staff to bus ratio, and operating ratio of buses.
Speaking to TOI, joint chairman and managing director of PMPML, Satish Kulkarni, said that as of now, the directions regarding service level benchmarks have not been received. "We know that such service level benchmarks are being framed. But, so far, we have not received any directions in this regard," he said. Kulkarni added that there is always a scope for improvement in public services and the desired service levels will be achieved.
PMPML still runs short of buses
PUNE: The fact that the PMPML is facing a major shortage of buses to cater to the population of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad has been repeatedly acknowledged by the authorities themselves.
Former chairman and managing director of PMPML, Nitin Khade, who was suddenly transferred last month, had given a detailed account of the PMPML situation recently when the first JNNURM bus was inducted in the fleet in the first week of July.
The PMPML, he said, has a fleet of 1,441 buses, of which 267 have been taken on lease from private operators. Of these, 1,174 buses, owned by the transport undertaking, 219 are more than ten years old.
The frequent breakdown of these vehicles affects the transport services and creates a bad image of the transport undertaking, he had said. He had mentioned that Pune has just 28 buses for every lakh population.
The PMPML, however, is making all efforts to procure buses and cross the 2,100 mark by this year end. While 650 buses are to be procured under the JNNURM scheme, 162 buses are being taken on lease from private operators. Another 75 buses are to be taken from funds made available by both the municipal corporations. Buses, which are more than ten years old, are to be scrapped once the new buses are inducted in the fleet, the authorities said.
City lacks proper pedestrian facilities
PUNE: The city lacks proper pedestrian facilities such as proper footpaths, zebra markings, pedestrian railings and signals. This finds mention in the detailed traffic analysis and accident report published recently by the traffic police department.
According to the report, as many as 126 pedestrians lost their lives in road accidents in 2008. In addition, 401 pedestrians were injured, many seriously. The report has recommended that the city needs footpaths of adequate width and continuity. Traffic authorities have also reiterated the need for improving public transport facilities.
Meanwhile, the city is already set to have the Intelligent Transport System wherein movement of traffic on all vehicles, traffic violations are to be monitored continuously.
